With Sony having already announced that the end of the PlayStation 4 is coming sooner than later, it’s time for the general public to start entertaining and digging everything they can about PlayStation 5 rumours. Although, it’s not as if most people were probably not doing that anyway just a year or two into the PlayStation 4’s lifecycle.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that we already know that the PlayStation 5 will come. Sony’s very own President and CEO, Shawn Layden, has already confirmed it himself in an interview with Golem.de. The only question now then is when, rather than if.

Having said that, below are some of the things that we know — and think we know — so far about Sony’s next-generation console.

PlayStation 5 Rumors: Possible Release Date

It’s coming already. One could say that it’s coming soon. At least, if we are to believe reports from the website SemiAccurate that Sony has already started sending out development kits.

Of course, as close as the development kits are as a confirmation that Sony has actually begun working on them, we can’t exactly say for sure if they’re close to finished products already.

For all we know, they could be PCs approximating the hardware that will be eventually used for the PlayStation 5. Also, there are various reports from first and third-party studios working on games for the PlayStation 4 for 2019 and beyond that, they know next to nothing about Sony’s next-generation console.

If you search hard enough, you’ll likely a couple of details here and there. But, as far as exact info goes, what’s available so far is far fewer than it would be if we were actually close to seeing the PlayStation 5.

A report from Wall Street Journal back in May also suggests that we won’t be seeing the PlayStation 5 until at least 2021, which is roughly around three years away from now.

Regardless of your source of PlayStation 5 rumours, though, what we can be sure of is that it won’t be coming soon. Of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t be excited for what’s to come. After all, following all the rumours and supposedly real “leaks” are just as fun as the actual release of the console itself.

PlayStation 5 Rumors: How Powerful Will It Be?

There are very few details available regarding the PlayStation 5 right now. But, of what we do know, it’s that it’s going to be powerful enough to run and play games that the current-gen PlayStation 4 isn’t capable of running. That suggests a massive upgrade for both the CPU and GPU, possibly enough to make short work of the heavy requirements of the PlayStation VR.

As for 4k and native support for higher resolutions, well, that’s up in the air for now.

While a report from wccftech suggests that AMD’s Navi graphics architecture is specifically being developed for Sony’s next offering — and we could probably expect a custom variation of the Ryzen CPU — we really can’t say for sure if it will have enough power to do native 4K consistently.

For those that don’t know, the PlayStation 4 Pro uses a clever technique where it takes single pixels and uses each one to render four times as much. This results in a pseudo-4K resolution output. Of course, the upgrade to the PlayStation 4 can do native 4K, but not without making compromises in terms of performance.

At the very least, though, we should expect native 4K support to be a basic requirement for the follow up to the PlayStation 4.

If Sony finds a way to solve this dilemma sooner rather than later, then we should expect the PlayStation 5 to arrive well before 2021.

PlayStation 5 Rumors: How Will VR Play a Role?

Thanks to the PlayStation VR, Sony became the first of the console manufacturers to dive head first into the relatively untapped market of virtual reality. But, upon closer examination, it’s easy to imagine how the current status of the PlayStation VR is only a taste of things to come.

As of the moment, the PlayStation 4 is barely able to keep up with the PlayStation VR. Using a PS4 Pro helps improve the experience, but even the more powerful console can do nothing against the resolution constraints set by the PlayStation VR, which should be Sony’s first order of business considering how the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive operates at a much higher resolution than the PlayStation 4 does.

Considering the PlayStation VR is well on its way to becoming a commercial success, Sony will be smart to double down on it with a better sequel and tie it up with the PlayStation 5. Hopefully, it’ll be cheaper, which could help further improve their hold on the VR market, and if possible, wireless, so VR headset-wearers aren’t tethered to their consoles.

Other things we can expect are HD and wider fields of view. However, full 4K VR per eye should be well outside of the realm of possibility for even the PlayStation 5. Although seeing as to how Sony found a way to work around rendering in 4K using the PS4 Pro, Sony will probably find a way to do the same for the next-generation of the Playstation VR.

PlayStation 5 Rumors: What Will It Look Like?

The current generation of consoles hasn’t really taken a drastically different form from their predecessors. This includes the PlayStation 4 and the PS4 Pro. However, with cloud computing only bound to improve in the next few years, the PlayStation 5 could be a lot less bulky.

This means that the PlayStation 5 probably won’t have a hard disk anymore. Or at least, one that probably won’t take up as much space as the one that the PlayStation 4 and the PS4 Pro are currently using. Sony has already made it possible for the PS4 and its Pro variant to support the use of external hard drives, so the concept could very well carry over the next generation, allowing it to better deal with storage-consuming 4K assets.

Other than that, we have evidence that suggests that Sony plans on taking notes from the very community it’s trying to sell its products to. Or at least, that’s what we can get from the leaked surveys sent out by third-party consumer insight agency, Join the Dots, via PlayStation.

While this doesn’t really tell us much about the next-generation console itself, it does lend credence to the possibility that many of the PlayStation 5 rumours we end up hearing about may actually be leaks that could end up becoming a part of the final product once it eventually releases.

PlayStation 5 Rumors: Will It Be Backwards Compatible?

Microsoft has made a lot of fans by making the Xbox One backwards compatible. But, one could make the argument that they’re only doing so because they have no choice to. Had the Xbox One experienced more commercial success than the PlayStation 4, we likely won’t be hearing about it. But, of course, that’s all speculation, and what’s currently happening right now is that Microsoft really seems intent on making it possible for the Xbox One to run older games.

As for Sony, the PlayStation 4 can’t exactly run games from the PlayStation 3. But, the PlayStation 4 is more like a PC. The shift in architecture makes it easier for developers to make games for, and while it’s not backwards-compatible, the possibility is there if the PlayStation 5 adopts the same PC-style architecture.

Sony is not exactly beholden to logic, though. It’s highly possible that Sony won’t make the PlayStation 5 backwards compatible just because they can. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t hope, right?

What Will Happen to the PlayStation 4 Pro?

Of the many PlayStation 5 rumours we keep on hearing about, there’s very little mention about the PlayStation 4 Pro.

Launching in November of 2016, the PS4 Pro is still less than two years old. The PS4 Pro also marks the first time that Sony decided to release an “upgrade” during the life cycle of a console.

To date, it remains a favourite among fans, as the added power makes it very well worth the premium. And, while releasing the PlayStation 5 could allow Sony to make a preemptive strike on the market, making the half-step upgrade of a console obsolete so soon likely won’t sit well with their fans.

If we were to fancy a guess, Sony probably won’t stop producing software or games and adding streaming services even as the PS4 and PS4 Pro enters the end of its life cycle.

Which of the PlayStation 5 rumours we rounded up do you think is the most plausible? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.